I also plan to say no to plastic bottles.
Myanmar (also known as Burma) lays snugly between
Thailand, India, China, Laos and Bangladesh. Besides being worried
about snakes (I hear they have many) I am also worried about, the
waste I could potentially create while I am there from plastic water
bottles.
Why am I thinking of buying water bottles when I can use my trusty Sigg bottles? Myanmar does not have safe tap water and buying plastic bottles is the easiest way to avoid getting sick.
Water
is kind of a necessity so I’m in a little bit of a panic mode
thinking of how I am going to combat this issue. Especially with the
heat, I know my water intake will be higher than normal. A lot
higher.
I
cringe thinking back to how many plastic bottles I went through in
India or Cambodia. Often these countries do not have adequate tap
water and your reliance on a disposable bottle of water becomes
greater. Then you travel around these countries and see where these
water bottles end up in make do landfill on the side of the road,
discarded in local environments and clogging up waterways.
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| Image from ecosalon.com |
And
here I sit, sipping water from my glass realiSing with uneasy guilt
just how much we take water for granted. Not just clean water, the ability to reuse the vessels it comes to us in.
So
what am I going to do?
I
researched a whole bunch of methods to remedy this, exhausting google
with terms like ‘how to purify’ or ‘how can I drink water
safely in Myamar.’
The
internet coughed up results like tablets, purifiers, LifeStraws, and
boiling water.
Tablets
were my first go to option. But then reading in more depth, the
chemical factor got to me. The tablets varied between iodine and
Micropur, each with drawbacks like the chemicals going into my body
and high iodine levels. But the ease of popping tablets into water
and waiting for them to work their magic does make them an easy and
carefree option. Then I think of the packaging of the tablets. It all
got a bit much and I put them into the ‘might be good in case of
emergency’ list.
Filters
looked great. The total filter especially ticked yes boxes. The price
and size of the ones that offered filtration of parasites made me
take a step back. If I was going somewhere for a longer period of
time I wold definitely go in this direction. Plus Cheryl Strayed made
working filters sound like fun. Really, she did. Yep, they are made
with plastic but can be reused many MANY times. It’s disposable
plastic I am trying to avoid here after all.
LifeStraw is a miraculous device that works as a straw but with a
built in filter. Check it out,
because it is awesome. The straw lasts for 3-5 years, depending on
how much it is used. So the potential for it to be used over a long
period of time is definitely a bonus. Plus the price is affordable.
There are different styles but I am having a hard time reading their
website, so will need a little more investigating.
Boiling
water seemed like the best option and most effective. Boiling water
will kill all the harmful things that make people sick. Then all I
need to do is transfer my boiled water to my Sigg water bottles. So
simple and I know I can boil water. The only problem is finding a
place to boil water. The logical step is to email places that I am
staying to see if they have kitchens that I can use. The downside is
if I want to make the time in my busy schedule to sit down and boil
close to 2L of water each night.
As
you can see, there are options.
I
know there will be instances when I will need to buy a plastic water
bottle. There is nothing worse than being sick, even more so when you
are in a foreign land and can’t speak the language. If I have to
choose between myself and a plastic bottle, I will ultimately pick
what is best for my health. Until I am faced with that decision I
will do the best I can. I have seen what a country looks like with
consumption of plastic being tossed aside and forgotten. I don’t
want to leave my waste behind for them to deal with. I want to
explore this country with purpose and tread lightly.
